Second Chance, Baby

by A. C. Arthur

  In the next instant, Ty had shifted, grasping her hips then slipping his thick sex into her center from behind.

  “Ty,” she whispered and swiveled her hips with his next thrust.

  “I missed you so much today, sweetheart,” he murmured in her ear.

  Shamelessly, Felicia thrust her bottom back against him, wanting his thick shaft as deeply inside of her as it would go.

  “That’s right, give it to me. That’s exactly what I was missing,” he chanted. His fingers dug into her hips as he anchored himself firmly in her body.

  Ty’s senses reeled at the feel of her velvet warmth wrapped tightly around him. He’d been thinking of her all day, thinking of being inside her this way, hearing her call his name and beg him for more.

  “Ty. Please,” she crooned, inching her body back even more, thrusting to meet his every stroke.

  She was close, he knew, and he wanted to give her the sweet release she so desperately desired. So, without wasting another moment, he reached around her, touching a hand to that erotically puckered bud at her center and first rubbing his finger over it. Then he pressed it flat with his thumb until Felicia sucked in a breath. He pulled out until only the tip of his arousal stayed inside her, waited a beat, then sank back in.

  Felicia screamed his name, bucking wilder against him. God, he loved this woman.

  As she rode the wave of her release Ty slipped out of her. He pushed her gently onto her back and covered her body with his. With smooth precision, he entered her slick heat once more and began riding her until his own release tickled his spine. Before long it was his turn to clench in ecstasy, to roar her name in sweet release.

  It was now Friday. Felicia had cooked them a nice dinner and now waited for Ty to come home. She’d called him at the office before she left work to make sure his evening was clear. After waiting for him last night, then growing angry and then melting in his arms when he’d touched her, Felicia figured it would save her a trip on an emotional roller coaster if she simply called to check his schedule first.

  Marsha had told her his calendar was clear after a four-thirty meeting. So why, at nine-thirty in the evening, was her husband still not at home? She tried to replay her mother’s words in her mind. She tried to remind herself to be patient but, dammit, he could have at least called her to say he wasn’t coming right home. She didn’t appreciate being the sit-at-home-and-wait wife.

  That was why she’d left him the first time.

  Slipping her nightgown over her head, Felicia felt the all-too-familiar cramping in her lower back. She’d called Dr. Franz that morning and had been told by his assistant that, as long as she wasn’t bleeding and the cramping didn’t increase pain-wise, she was most likely okay. The assistant advised her to drink more water and to get more rest until her appointment next week. At her last visit, Dr. Franz had told her not to worry, but that was getting harder by the day. Whether it was about her husband, her marriage or this pregnancy, worry seemed to be her middle name.

  The sound of the front door closing snapped her out of her thoughts, and she brushed her hair back and sat on the edge of the bed. She would not fake sleep tonight. Ty was going to hear how upset she was.

  Ty scrubbed his face with a hand. Brentwood was beginning to work his nerves. Every day the man had another question, another scenario he needed Ty to work through for him. And because this deal with Brentwood was the biggest of his career, Ty was busting his behind to appease the man.

  But at what cost?

  Felicia hadn’t said anything yet, but he could tell she was thinking that he’d gone back to his old ways. But when she’d let him make love to her, he’d felt her tension subside. She was right; in that area, they’d never had any problems. Still, in the light of day, he knew that it would only be a matter of time before she would say something.

  He wanted to be with Felicia, he wanted to give her everything she needed, but as he’d told her before, he still had to work. Unfortunately, his job was not the nine-to-five she wanted it to be.

  Letting himself into the penthouse at almost half past ten, Ty steeled himself for her frosty reception. It was too much to hope for sex to smooth the waters, he was sure.

  The house was dark and he smelled the faint scent of fried chicken. His stomach growled. He’d met Brentwood at a sushi restaurant, and because the food hadn’t looked remotely appealing to him, he hadn’t eaten.

  So he was seated at the marble-topped island in the kitchen, his jacket and tie tossed in the living room, biting into a chicken breast he’d found in the refrigerator, when Felicia came in.

  She wore a black silk robe cinched at the waist and highlighting the growing mound of her stomach. “Good evening,” she said, giving him a pointed glare.

  Frosty greeting indeed. Ty felt as if icicles had grown on his eyelids as her gaze held his. “Hey,” he said, reaching for a napkin and wiping his mouth. As he chewed, he thought of what he would say. What could he say to make her feel better?

  “I called your office when I left school. Marsha said you had no more appointments after four-thirty. So I came home and cooked for us.”

  With his elbows propped on the counter, he continued to watch her. Cautiously.

  “My four-thirty meeting was with Brentwood.”

  “I thought you already signed him.”

  “I did.”

  “And you met with him already on Monday.”

  Ty sighed. “He’s very needy right now. The amount of money he’s investing is significant. He needs me to hold his hand.”

  “For five hours?”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s just necessary right now.”

  “Why can’t someone else do it?” she asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

  “Someone like who? I’m the owner of the company. I sought him out and presented this deal.”

  “That’s all the more reason why you can pass him on to a junior broker once you have the contracts signed. You have an entire department that needs this kind of work experience.”

  She clearly did not understand the importance of this deal. “It’s not that easy, Felicia. Brentwood and I have a relationship. That’s why I met with him at Lone Star. This case is fragile. I can’t just push him off on someone else.”

  “It’s not pushing him off, Ty. It’s delegating responsibilities. What’s the point in having a company full of employees if you’re determined to do everything yourself?” She paused then and tilted her head, continuing to stare at him.

  Ty sensed that whatever was coming out of her mouth next was not going to be good.

  “You met with him up at Lone Star?” she asked in a deadly calm voice. “The weekend we went away. That wasn’t just a getaway like you said, was it?”

  A dozen choice expletives ran through Ty’s mind at his slipup. He couldn’t believe he’d just told on himself. Dragging a hand down his face, he stalled for time to think of what to say.

  “Felicia,” he began after a few minutes and knew that it was a pitiful attempt.

  She was already shaking her head. “No. Don’t try to come up with an excuse. Just tell me that you had a business meeting to go to and decided to take me along as an afterthought. Just tell me that you never had any intention of putting me and our family before business.”

  “Sweetheart, it’s not like that.”

  “The hell it isn’t!” she raged. “Do you think you’re the first man to think he can have his cake and eat it, too? Well, you’re not. However, I am a bit more hurt that you would much rather cheat on me with business deals and secret meetings rather than just going to another woman.”

  “What are you talking about? I’m not cheating on you. Felicia, baby, just calm down. We can talk about this.” He reached for her then and watched as she pulled away from his grasp, a look of pure dislike on her face.

  “No, we can’t talk about this. Not anymore. I’m sick of talking, Ty, and I’m sick of being the only one trying to work on this relationship.”

&n
bsp; She’d gone from yelling to that chilly, cool tone again, and Ty didn’t know how to take her from one moment to the next. “Look, it’s late. Why don’t we just go to bed.”

  She gave a sickly chuckle. “I’ve been in bed for a few hours by myself.”

  Suddenly he was no longer hungry. Ty turned back to the counter and emptied his plate in the trash. Then he walked toward her.

  “I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. I’m sorry.”

  “The only thing you’re sorry about is that I stayed awake to approach you. As long as I keep quiet, you keep doing what you do.”

  She turned to walk away from him then stopped abruptly, sucking in a breath. Ty immediately went to her, his hands going around her waist to steady her. She suddenly looked really fragile.

  “Sweetheart, are you okay? Tell me what’s wrong.”

  She kept her eyes closed for another moment then opened them slowly. “I’m fine,” she said tightly. “Just tired.”

  “You sure?” For some reason her answer wasn’t ringing true.

  “Yes. Excuse me, I’m going to bed now.”

  She moved around him and proceeded into the bedroom, and Ty let her go. But she didn’t look fine. She looked as if she were in pain. The problem was that Ty couldn’t decipher if that pain was physical or emotional.

  To appease himself, he decided he would find out when her next doctor’s appointment was. He had a few questions about this pregnancy and his wife’s overall health.

  And if the pain he’d seen so clearly etched across her face was on the emotional side, Ty had no idea what he would do. Getting Felicia back hadn’t been easy, but there had been no question that he would succeed. Losing her again, however, was not an option.

  Chapter 10

  Felicia sat at the Zebrano veneer dining table on the enclosed deck at the Braddock estate with her mother-in-law. It was Saturday, and Ty was supposed to have met her here for lunch. That was over an hour ago.

  So now she was finished eating—well, picking at her chicken salad—and was more than ready to leave. In the wee hours of the morning, she’d come to a conclusion—Tyson Braddock would rather be successful in business then be married to her. Felicia didn’t consider herself a demanding woman. She wanted only what most women her age did: a loving and attentive husband, a house and kids. She hadn’t asked Ty for anything out of the ordinary. She simply wanted her husband to be a willing participant in their marriage, in this pregnancy.

  Ty, apparently, was not up for that challenge. His hours were longer, his calls less frequent, his appearances almost nonexistent. Sure, he’d courted her for almost a month, just like she’d told him she wanted. Maybe she should have specified that the courting had to last the duration of the marriage. Maybe she should have given him a detailed report of what she expected from her husband on a daily basis.

  The Brentwood deal was important to him, important to his company. And she respected that. But she didn’t have to accept it. There was no reason for Ty to be taking all the meetings with Brentwood and enduring all the man’s insecurities. He paid people to do just that.

  The fact that he chose to deal with this client and this account totally on his own was, in essence, his choice of his job over her. Again.

  Since they’d argued at the penthouse and she’d almost passed out from the sharp pain in her stomach, she and Ty hadn’t spoken about business. School was closed today, so she had agreed to the lunch at his mother’s. Ty had it on his schedule; Felicia knew this because she’d seen it on the calendar he kept on the computer at home, and she knew that Evelyn would have called the office to confirm. And yet, he wasn’t here.

  There was no doubt in her mind that his absence had something do with work.

  Felicia’s head hurt as she questioned herself. Was she being unreasonable? Was she simply overly emotional because of the pregnancy? Or was Ty really choosing business over her? And, how long was she supposed to endure this treatment? Would he be like this with their child?

  This back-and-forth, on-and-off was just too much for her right now. She simply didn’t have the energy to be angry or hurt any longer. What she knew without a doubt was that she needed more than Ty was willing to give. And if he couldn’t give it then she would simply do without—on a more permanent basis.

  “When you’re ready to talk, I’m here to listen,” Evelyn Braddock said, interrupting her thoughts.

  Her calm, attentive voice had Felicia looking up into Evelyn’s dark brown eyes, which were so like her son’s. Evelyn was a beautiful woman with flawless honey-brown skin. Her hair seemed to be a shade darker than ebony, softly curled and resting gently on her shoulders. She wore an expensive yet tasteful pantsuit in a buttery yellow color that accentuated her soft features.

  And she was onto Felicia.

  For the last hour Felicia had tried to keep up general conversation. She hadn’t seen Evelyn since the funeral, which was itself out of the ordinary. When she and Ty had first been married, she’d visited her in-laws at least once a week, usually for the family dinners they had on Sundays. But over the years those dinners had dwindled. Still, she’d continued to visit and call. She and Evelyn had a good relationship up until she left Ty. She had in a sense left the entire Braddock family because there was no way she could be around them and not see or think about Ty. She had no idea how she was going to do it this time, especially with a baby connecting them.

  “I’m sorry, Evelyn. I was just daydreaming.”

  Nodding and touching a finger to her chin, Evelyn only stared at Felicia. “You haven’t called me Evelyn in years. In fact, I don’t think you’ve ever called me by my name.”

  Damn. Just as she suspected, Evelyn knew something was up. “My mind is someplace else, Mom.”

  Evelyn laughed. The full, rich sound was a surprise to Felicia. In the time she’d been there today, Evelyn had barely smiled. Instead, she’d looked pensive and worried. Felicia had simply chalked that up to continued grief.

  “And you must think that my brain is someplace else also. Now I’ve known you since you were a teenager and you and Ty were in college. I’ve watched you grow into a lovely young woman. You’re a gifted teacher and a good wife to my son. What you are not is a liar, so please don’t insult my intelligence again.”

  She said it in that cool, serious manner Evelyn had about her. She spoke that way when she meant business. Funny, how her eyes remained subtle and her lips spread in a natural smile as she did so.

  Felicia took a deep breath as she thought about just how much she was going to tell her mother-in-law. The lies on everybody’s part needed to stop now.

  “I’m worried,” she started to say, then stopped because she wasn’t sure how to say the rest.

  “You’re worried about my son.”

  It was a statement and not a question. Felicia’s stomach clenched and she decided all this drama really wasn’t worth the discomfort.

  “Ty and I are separated, Mom. I mean, we were separated. Earlier this year I left him and got my own apartment. I couldn’t stay away when I heard about Dad’s death. But Ty and I still didn’t reconcile.”

  Evelyn only nodded. “And now?”

  Her hands were shaking, so Felicia propped her elbows up on the table and dropped her head. “A few weeks ago we ran into each other and we decided to give our marriage another try.” She lifted her head then and looked Evelyn directly in the eye. “It’s not working.”

  “I see.” Evelyn let her hands fall into her lap. “So what now? Divorce? Counseling? What’s your next move?”

  Felicia didn’t know whose side Evelyn was on. Her head was throbbing and she was steadily growing nauseous. She didn’t want to be sitting here talking about this. She wanted to go home, to crawl into her bed and let this sickness pass her by. But Evelyn expected an answer. “The reason that Ty and I decided to reconcile a few weeks ago was because he found out that we were going to have a baby.”

  Evelyn’s eyes brightened. “A baby?” she whi
spered, her hands immediately coming up to take hold of Felicia’s. “You’re having a baby?”

  Felicia couldn’t hide a shaky smile. “Yes, ma’am. I’m almost four months pregnant.”

  “I’m going to be a grandmother.” Evelyn’s eyes watered.

  “But Ty and I cannot stay together,” Felicia said hurriedly before Evelyn got swept away by the baby news.

  “Tell me what’s the problem between you two. I know it’s not another man because I can see clearly how much you still love him. And I know I taught him better than to cheat on his wife.”

  Felicia shook her head. “No. It’s not another man or another woman. I wish it were that simple.”

  Taking her hand from Evelyn’s, she picked up her glass and sipped the iced tea slowly. “Ty is only focused on work. That’s all he does, all the time. In the beginning I thought it was okay, because we were newly married and he wanted to make our lifestyle as comfortable as possible. I told him it didn’t matter to me as long as we were together but you know how stubborn he is.”

  Evelyn chuckled. “Just like his daddy.”

  There was a wistfulness to that statement that Felicia couldn’t miss. “After a while it just became too much. He was rarely at home and when he was, he was distant and distracted. I planned vacations and he cancelled them. I fixed dinner and he came home at midnight. I tried to talk to him and he yelled that he was doing this for us. I got fed up and I left. Then I saw him again and…and I got pregnant. I wanted it to work between us. I really did, and I thought that Ty did, too. He said he was going to work on it. But we’re right back where we started. I just can’t do this anymore, Mom.”

  “Okay, calm down. No need getting yourself and my grandbaby all upset,” Evelyn said, standing from her chair. “Come with me. You need some air.”